


it started out as a feeling (which then grew into a hope)

by PuriPuki



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Road Trip, F/M, Fluff, Muslim!Robin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-29
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-23 22:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4893979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuriPuki/pseuds/PuriPuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Come on a road trip with me."</p><p>"Dude, I literally met you half an hour ago, told you my life story over soggy waffles, and you bought me clothes."</p><p>"It'll be fun. I'm going everywhere."</p><p>"Okay. If you really do turn out to be an axe murderer, I guarantee I'll murder you first."</p><p>((the roadtrip au no one asked for))</p><p>this work has been abandoned, but is being rewritten and reworked in a new fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. tell me your life story over soggy waffles

“Hey, are you okay?” Robin looked up from her plate, staring at the boy who sat in front of her through blurry eyes. She brought a hand up to wipe away tears with her sleeve, wiping away what little was left of her make up.“You’ve been sitting in here for a little bit and I, uh, I wanted to make sure that you were okay?”

“I-I’m fine, t-thanks though.” He gave her a questioning look, raising his eyebrows in a way that made him look more like a goof than a concerned and questioning stranger. He set what looked like a backpack down on the table, which was covered in checker-squared print that had to have come straight from the 50’s.

“You’re sure?” _Why was he interested in her? ___

“Yes.” _Was it obvious she had been crying as hard as she was? ___

“You’ve been sitting at this booth for about forty five minutes, and have spent probably thirty of those crying.” _Oh no. It was. ___

“Shut up! It’s been a long day, okay?” She sighed, hiding her face behind her hands, muffling her following words,“A horribly tragic, long day.” Then, he sighed, shifted in his seat, and crossed his arms on the table.

“Tell me about it.” 

“What?”

“Tell me about your horribly tragic long day. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.” He smiled, and had she had a better day, she would’ve melted right then and there. A guy with a smile that could melt anyone deserved the world- but who was she to take chances?

“I.. I don’t even know your name!” He smiled again at Robin, and everything seemed a little more okay each time he did. 

“Oh! I guess that’s right, I never said. I’m Chrom.”

“That’s a weird name. You’ve probably heard that more than once.”

“You’re not wrong there. Alright, you know my name. Spill, give me all the details of your awful day.” In the long run, it would be better to tell some stranger with a gorgeous smile and what appeared to be an adorable personality than to bottle up more than she already had. Hell, why not?

“Okay. I have to warn you, it’s not happy. At all. Oh, I’m Robin, by the way. Robin Sadiqi.” He smiled again and she was going to be dead before she even finished talking because she wanted to be this man’s friend so desperately at that moment. 

“Lovely name for a lovely person. Come on now, let’s hear it.”

“Okay so number one problem is my dad. He’s a _huge _douchebag, like, giant asshole. Biggest piece of shit on the planet. He’s an abuser, and ever since I can remember, he’s beat me and my mom and my older sister, and got away with it every single time. Like, he's been prosecuted and arrested and everything but no dice. No jail time for this douchenickel. He’s also kind of a part of a terrorist organization. Which kinda sucks. Well, it sucks a lot.”__

“Woah, a terrorist organization? Really?” Chrom looked so shocked, and it was quite startling to Robin. Whenever someone saw her, they assumed the worst- look at her, wearing the veil, she must be a terrorist. “That must’ve been awful to grow up around…”

“Well, it’s not exactly an organization. He’s the leader of a hate group, they hate America and all natural born Americans. Bit hypocritical, since he's from New York. Now that I think about it, quite similar to Al-Qaeda. Anyways, not a happy upbringing for me. I took my mom’s surname after I left - When they got married, she refused to converted to Christianity for him, so he converted to Islam for her because they were in love. He wasn’t an asshole until he got involved with the whole hate group thing.”

“Yikes. What happened to your mom and sister?”

“My mom is still with him. She’s tried to escape multiple times but hasn’t made it out yet. My sister, Aversa, is five years older than me and left when she decided to go to college. She stopped wearing the veil, stopped practicing, and changed her name. Sometimes my dad will still call her up and call her by her dead name.”

“Dead name?”

“Yeah, her birth name. She’s trans, an absolute beauty too. Anyways, mom is still with that snake.”

“What happened today that was so awful then?”

“Today was the day that I left. For good, that is. I left for college but he dragged me back down for a year because Mom was sick. She had pneumonia, and was in the hospital for a long time. Lung infections afterwards, a whole bunch of complications and such. After she got better, I had to leave otherwise I’d end up back where I began.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“Of course! I’m not some awful kid who leaves just as their sick mom is getting better without any reason! I told her I was going, and she wished me luck. Gave me a handful of cash too, since I’m a little broke thanks to college loans. Had enough for gas and these now soggy waffles.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like too bad of a day. You left your abuser, which takes guts. Your mom isn’t sick anymore, and your sister’s okay too! Sounds like a great day actually.”

“Such an optimist. But that’s why my day was long and awful and tragic. I’m all out of money and stranded in some rinky dink 50’s diner in California. _Northern California _, and I’m barely a thousand miles away from him. Life sucks.” And with that, Robin pushed her plate to the side, and set her head down on the table. “Oh, better yet! I forgot to pack a lot of clothes so I barely have anything! I only have the veil I’m wearing and a pair of pants!”__

“I’ll buy you some clothes? It _is _Northern California, there’s not gonna be a lot, but I bet there’s something you can use for another veil, right? Come on, I’ll even pay for your soggy waffles.” He stood up and pulled his bag onto one shoulder, standing in the aisle with a hand extended to her. He grinned and wiggled his fingers at her.__

“How do I know you aren’t some crazy axe murderer that takes advantage of weepy young girls in old diners?”

“Dude. I’m 26 and have been living in my car since I graduated because I’m too much of a wimp to go home and tell my dad that I majored in psychology rather than law or political science. I’m not an axe murderer.” Robin stared at him, nodded, and pulled herself together. She grabbed her knapsack, a small cotton bag poorly sewn together, and dropped her three remaining dollars on the table.

“I already paid, but I appreciate the offer. And… thank you for listening. I never expected to tell my entire life story to someone. And another thing, thank you for not assuming that I was a terrorist because of my hijab.”

“Speaking of, that’s a very cute pattern. The color suits you.” He grinned at her again, and it was moments like these that Robin was incredibly thankful for her dark skin. “And don’t worry about having to pay me back. My dad, he’s ah, kinda sorta incredibly rich. Kind of a dick too, though not as much as your dad.”

“Nice. Bonding over asshole dads. Perfect way to form a friendship.”

“Of course, didn’t you know that that’s how all the perfect friendships begin? Asshole fathers and clothes shopping. It’ll be a long lasting one, I tell ya.”

“Pfft. I’ve known you maybe half an hour and I already know you’re a dork. I’d like to get to know you better, you nerd.”

“How do you know I’m a nerd? You’ve only known me for half an hour.”

“Please. You're a huge nerd. You've got a bunch of patches sewn onto your backpack, albeit rather poorly. Besides, you’re giving me your phone number whether you like it or not.”


	2. plaid panties and little siblings

“So, what kind of clothes do you need?”

“Probably a pair of pants and a few shirts, another veil or scarf too.” Robin paused for a moment, considering the small amount of clothing in her bag. She reached up to tug on the edges of her veil, adjusting the back.“Socks and underclothes too. And a jacket. I hope that won’t be too much of a strain on you?”

“Please,” Chrom scoffed, seemingly unbothered by what she needed, “it’s not a problem. Besides, there’s kind of the whole ‘dad left a gigantic trust fund for each of his three kids’ thing. Money’s never been an issue.”

“How lucky you must be. Oh, there’s a Target here! Thank Allah, I thought I would have to cave and go to that tiny shop on the edge of town. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to wear underwear from a sketchy gift store.” Chrom laughed at that, and went easily when Robin grabbed his right hand and pulled him along behind her. Though they had only known each other for a short time, it already felt like they were close friends, closer than any friends either had had before.

“Robin, I hate to get your hopes up because while it is a Target, it’s also North Cali. It’s all gonna be plaid.”

“Please, Target is a national chain, they’ll have something other than plaid. Hopefully.” It wasn’t like that was all Northern California had, right? No region of a state, of any state, could live with purely plaid clothing, right? That might’ve been the case in Oregon but surely not here? She continued to pull Chrom behind her, humming cheerily as she went.

♢

“Oh, come on!”

“Hate to say it, but I told you so.” Chrom watched passively as Robin searched through the women’s department, as she found little that wasn’t plaid. “It’s northern California, you can’t have expected much.”

“Maybe not much but certainly not this much plaid.” She picked up a green and red plaid patterned bra and showed it to him, unsurprised by the light blush that came to his cheeks. “This is just ridiculous. No woman should be forced to wear a _plaid bra _.__ Ever, unless she’s about that. Ugh, I can’t believe that I’m saying this but this store has more plaid than I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

“You lived in Oregon before now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yikes. Must be bad then.”

“Precisely.” Robin went back to searching for appropriate clothes, digging through piles of autumn scarves in search of a suitable veil. Chrom held her bag for her, while she carried around a few shirts and two pairs of pants. When the cashier at the front gave Robin a distrustful glance out of the side of their eye, Chrom glared right back at them until they left. He carried her bags, and she took his hand again as they walked back to the diner where they met a half hour past.

♢

“Come on a road trip with me.”

“Dude, I literally met you half an hour ago, told you my life story, and you bought me clothes.”

“It’ll be fun. I’m going everywhere.”

“Ok. If you really do turn out to be an axe murderer, I guarantee that I’ll murder you first.” Everywhere sounded incredibly enticing. Everywhere was just about anywhere she could imagine, and anywhere was almost certainly away from her father. “I hope you won’t mind me stopping you five times during the day, I have to do my daily prayers five times each day…”

“Wait, you’ll come? Really?”

“...Yes?”

“I thought you’d say no for sure! And the stopping thing isn’t a problem, God knows I need to stop more often when I drive. My sisters have said I’m quite prone to not stopping until I fall asleep at the wheel.” He scratched the back of his neck, like a nervous tic, and gave her a small grin. She smiled back, and tugged the fringe ends of her hijab again.

“That’s certainly not going to happen, I’ll make sure that you switch out and don’t fall asleep at the wheel because I certainly do not want to die young. Especially in, like, the middle of the Arizona desert wasteland.”

“Then you’ll come with me?”

“Of course, I’ve already said yes. Here’s to the great American roadtrip?”

“To the great American roadtrip!”

♢

“Where to first?” Robin asked, sliding into the passenger seat of Chrom’s car- it was an old and worn down Sonata, with a fresh layer of deep blue paint on the outside. The backseat was rather empty, his sole backpack in the trunk along with her own bag and items from their brief shopping excursion.

“Well, I was actually on my way down south. My little sister, Lissa, wanted me to visit since she has since I last saw, gotten engaged.” She noticed he pouted a little at the mention of his sister’s engagement, though he seemed to put all focus into driving. Robin decided her mother would like Chrom.

“South Cali sounds good. How old is she? Your sister, that is.”

“21, she’s 4 years younger than me and eight younger than our older sister.” He sighed heavily, tapping out a rhythm on the steering wheel. “She’s only four years younger and yet she still seems so little.”

“I know the feeling. That’s a little young, but as long as she’s happy, right?”

“I suppose so. I’m her older brother though, I’m just worried. I don’t doubt her or anything, but it’s something my father beat into me- protect your sisters, you’ll be the only one that can once I’m gone.”

“Yikes. Sounds like a douchebag.”

“Yeah, try living with him for 18 years. Wait, you know the feeling? You didn’t say anything about a little sibling earlier?” He glanced at her from the side, watching her as best he could while avoiding any impending traffic from the other side of the road. Robin shifted in her seat, playing with the fringe of her hijab once more. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Still a bit shaken up from today, is all. As for little siblings, it’s a story I’d rather not divulge in just yet. It’s, well, ah, a bit of a traumatic memory from when I was little, so…” She shifted again, and started to pick at her lip. Chrom nodded, and turned on the radio to fill the silence that had suddenly been created.

“Where do you think we should stop? We’re near Redding now, and my family lives in Los Angeles.”

“We should stop in a couple hours, probably. Maybe two hours from now, since it’s kinda of late. How far is Redding from Sacramento?” Robin asked, already formulating a plan. Drive from Redding to Sacramento, pick up some food there, and crash in a crummy motel.

“I think Sacramento is about two hours or so away? We should be able to make it there before nightfall.”

“Do you think we could stay in a crummy motel with questionable stains on the pavement outside? I’ve never stayed in one of those before and I think that it’s part of the experience.”

“Odd request, but I don’t see why not. My phone is right there, pick out a crummy motel you like? Safari app is under the social tab.” As Chrom drove and Robin searched for a motel, the radio host cheerily announced the upcoming song and played it, filling the car with the thrum of pop music.

Hundreds of miles south, two sisters eagerly await their brother’s return, unsuspecting of the companion he’d be bringing home to them. Hundreds of miles north, a father was landing punches on his ill wife, growing more and more angry with his daughter and son in each passing minute. On the streets of Sacramento, a young man wandered about in search of his twin sister, longing to be reunited after so many years apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -the Robin I've been imagining while writing is female build 1, face 4, hair 1, and hair color 1. basically, the default Robin with a different set face.  
> -Chrom's family (Lissa, Emmeryn, his father and mother) live in Los Angeles and are rich as fuck  
> -Robin's parents live in Medford, Oregon (I know nothing about this place. I just chose it based on it's relative location to Redding and where in Oregon it is.) and Aversa is attending college on the East Coast  
> -I hope to upload another chapter soon! Schoolwork isn't too heavy yet, so I'll likely be updating at least once a week, probably on the weekends or Fridays.


	3. an incident never to be spoken of again

“This, my friend, is exactly what I had in mind.” The motel room was small, two twin sized beds pushed on opposite walls, a single nightstand with a lamp reminiscent of the nineties in between the two. The walls were covered in wood panelling, the shag carpet was a shade of magenta that tied the entire room together, as it was one of the solitary splashes of color among different shades of beige and brown. “A true motel, down to the ugly shag carpet!”

“You’re not wrong there, this carpet is a little… gross? Gross seems like an understatement for this thing.” Chrom dropped his lone backpack on the bed near the door, claiming it before Robin could steal it from him. “Are you sure you want to stay here?”

“Are you kidding? Give me one shitty motel. One, and we can stay in whichever fancy hotel you want to stay at next time we stop for the night. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be staying here all week, just one night!” When he glared at her, she put on her best puppy-dog-eyes face and stared at him until he relented and gave in. After 24 years with a younger sister, one would think he would be resistant to the classic puppy-dog face but Chrom was a weak, weak man to the puppy-dog face.

“So, have anything in mind for dinner tonight?”

“I… I don’t know… I’m not sure if there’s a halal market near here, so I don’t know what I’ll do yet.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot that you had diet restrictions, that was inconsiderate.”

“It’s fine, usually people don’t even recognize that some things aren’t kosher for me, much less apologize for being inconsiderate, so don’t think anything of it! I’ll look and see if there’s something around here in a bit. Also, I call dibs on the shower!”

“Aw, really? Don’t use up all the hot water.” Robin hummed a little at this, already investigating the small showerstall and cheap shampoo bottles. “I’m gonna head out and find something to eat, text me if you-”

“I don’t have your phone number.”

“Oh, that’s right. Uh, hold on just a second.” He dug around the pre-cluttered nightstand drawer, and came out successful with a small pad of paper. “I wrote it on the paper pad on the nightstand! I’ll be back soon though, make sure you scream loudly if someone tries to kill you.”

“Is that a genuine concern of yours?”

“There was one incident with an old friend that I’d rather not bring up. But yes, it is.”

♢

While the motel looked rather nasty on the outside, the showerstall itself was surprisingly decent and flowed nicely, unlike the uneven showerhead her father had insisted on using back home. The stingy old thing almost never worked properly, and he refused to ever call someone in to fix it or replace it with a newer fixture. The sink was fully functional, which was a definite plus as it wouldn’t inhibit her nighttime prayer, and could easily pray without bothering her newest friend. Robin’s phone sat on the bathroom countertop, playing pop music quietly as she bathed.

As for her newest friend, he was certainly an odd character compared to those she knew from her hometown. He was on the dorky side and unbelievably kind to her, while she had done nothing to deserve his kindness. His intentions seemed pure, and was respectful of her- something not many men had been. Many of her father’s friends had been less than inconsiderate of her in the past, especially after she refused their proposals of marriage. Chrom spoke so fondly of his sisters and was simply so friendly and trusting that it was, in a very special way, endearing and could very well lead to the long and winding path of falling in love.

Not an option for the daughter of the leader of a radical terrorist organization. All the same, she could very well be already walking the first steps to that path. Again, not good.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Robin wrapped one of the small motel-provided towels around her and dug through her remaining Target bags in search of clothes she had grabbed last minute, en lieu of pajamas that were left on her bedroom floor. “Let’s see, I know I’ve got pajama-ish clothes in here somewhere…”

“Robin, I’m back! You oka-” The door clicked open and then shut again, Chrom walked in and dropped his takeout on his bed, freezing up as he realized what he walked in on. Robin stood on the other side of the room, dumbstruck with a tight fist keeping the towel around her chest. Droplets of water were still making their way down her thighs and arms, her hair still dripping and clinging to her skin, and he still stood there, unmoving and staring. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry, I-”

“Shut up! Just-” She retreated to the bathroom, throwing her hairbrush at him before he could see anymore of her. Quickly throwing on her new pajamas and loosely wrapping her hijab around her thick hair, she stood stuck in her place for a moment.“You aren’t supposed to see me like that.”

“I know, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that you were-”

“Shh! Stop talking about it! I don’t want to talk about it anymore!” Robin yelled, her voice quivering towards the end. “Can we just… Can we just pretend that never ever happened?”

“Of course, I…” Chrom paused for a moment, the creaking of the bed springs audible through the thin motel walls. “It never happened. Will you come out of the bathroom now?”

“...Yes. In a few moments, I’m going to do my last set of prayers for the day. I’ll be out in just a few…”

 

♢

 

Their sleeping arrangement was a difficult one to make. Robin made the elective decision to not wear her veil in front of Chrom, as he had already seen far more than was what appropriate and yet he held a large amount of her trust that she hadn’t given anyone in years. Chrom slept on the bed by the door, Robin in the bed by the bathroom. The sun was just barely rising when the first alarm rang at five thirty, and Robin woke without questioning and began her ablutions in the privacy of the bathroom. Chrom rose slowly, quietly adjusting to consciousness.

“Do you always wake up at five thirty?” Chrom asked, stumbling around the small kitchenette in an attempt to make coffee.

“Yes, five thirty is when the first prayers of the day must be performed.” Robin told him, folding her mat up and putting it back into her backpack. “It is a part of one of the five pillars of Islam, it’s called Salat. It simply requires Muslims to pray five times each day.”

 

“Good to know. Just let me know when to pull over and find somewhere you can pray. When will you be ready to leave?”

“Whenever. I don’t have a lot to gather, so I’m ready to go whenever.”

“Coffee?”

“Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -i lied. schoolwork got heavy two days after i posted that  
> -please correct me on anything surrounding islam if i did not write it correctly, i do not practice it and am trying my best to accurately portray a muslim character  
> -chrom's incident with an old friend may or may not be mentioned again (the old friend is a certain ginger)  
> -lissa, emmeryn, and freddy will be introduced next chapter!!  
> -i apologize for the short chapter, i'd rather have one short one and an entire chapter dedicated to meeting chroms family than one giant monster of a chapter!


	4. a home coming

They arrived in Los Angeles six hours later, after several pit stops at an assortment of gas stations and rest stops, each one filled with a new conversation and more memories shared.

♦️♦️♦️

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Chrom says in between mouthfuls of a burger, the pair sitting in a small booth of a small restaurant in a small rest stop, “where are your parents from?”

“My father was born in Connecticut and grew up in New York City. Don’t have much family on his side, if I’m being honest. My mother is from Afghanistan, originally. She’s, ah, Hazara, one of the minority ethnicities there. She fled when she was 11, during the Taliban take over.” She tells him, her eyes averted almost in shame. “She talks about her childhood in Kabul often, and about how she loved the snow.”

“It snows in Kabul?”

“Yes, it does.” Robin fidgets with her rings, still averting her eyes. “I’d like to go back but Kabul is just such a mess.”

“It sure sounds like your mother had a much more eventful life than either of my parents,” Chrom remarks, “they were both from Los Angeles and never really left. Buncha homebodies, really.”

♦️♦️♦️

“What about your family?” Robin asks him, lying down in the backseat during one of their many snack breaks. “You haven’t told me much about them”

“My family is a bit complicated. Political campaigns and certain stances made for some strained relations.” Chrom stopped there, returning his focus to the cheap magazine he had picked up two rest stops back. Robin frowned, whacking him on the shoulder from where she could reach.

“Are you gonna elaborate on that, Mister Mysterious Family History?”

“Do I have to?” When Robin nodded, Chrom sighed heavily and dropped the magazine in the passenger seat.

“My father was a politician. State senator for California, the widely hated Periander Lowell. Giant dickhole, quite honestly. Hated the queer community, hated black people, hispanic people, any person of color really. Despised Muslims. As a plus, he was hardly ever home and had a fuckload of affairs. Giant dickhole, right?”

“Giant dickhole. Continue, please.”

“My mother was much kinder, she was amazing. She was pretty much the opposite of my father, she did everything he hated. She was an amazing mother to all three of us.”

“Three?”

“My sisters and I,” He turns his head back to look at Robin, surprised by her shocked expression. “I told you that the younger one was engaged and that I had an older one yesterday.”

“Huh. Must’ve slipped my mind, thanks to the _incident _.__ ”

♦️♦️♦️

“What do you _mean_?” Robin yells at him as they drive, over the radio blaring the pop hits of the year, “How could you have never seen High School Musical?”

“I’ve just never seen it, okay?!” Chrom shouts back, “Hell, I didn’t know it existed until a friend from school mentioned it two years ago!”

“ _SIN_!” She’s shaking with laughter as they continue to yell back and forth, arguing about whether or not it was necessary to at the very least play the soundtrack from the movies, much less watch it.

♦️♦️♦️

Above the skyscrapers that litter the city, the noon time sun beat down on their heads, hot and heavy in the city streets, though it was not as overbearing on the outskirts where Chrom’s childhood home was. The walkway to the front door of his father’s home was a lengthy one, bushes of roses lining it. To call this place a house was an understatement. This was a mansion, a glorious palace fit for a king.

“Welcome home, Chrom.” A young woman stood in the front doorway, radiating beauty and grace. Between her slight frame and light features, it was hard to believe that she could have been a sister to Chrom. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to be home again, Emm. Is Lissa home?” She giggled, shaking her head. Chrom sighed heavily, already shifting impatiently on his feet. “Off on a date?”

“Yes, she is in the city with her fiancé, wanted to show them around. Mother and father are out for the day, they’ll be back come night. Might I ask who your companion is, Chrom?”

“Ah, yes! Robin, this is Emmeryn, my older sister. Emmeryn, this is Robin.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Robin.” Emmeryn smiled and extended a hand, warm and welcoming. Such a peaceful presence, Robin took her hand gently and smiled back at her, in awe of her beauty. She seemed too ethereal to be real, much less related to Chrom.

“Oh! The pleasure is mine, I assure you! Chrom speaks highly of you.”

“All good things, I hope?”

“Emmeryn,” Chrom sighed again, shifting on his feet, “you’ve never done anything bad in your life. There’s nothing but good things to tell.”

“I should hope so. All the same, come in. Frederick is in the gardens if you wish to see him.” Robin tentatively followed Chrom into the manor, unsure of what to make of such extravagance. Her mother had told her before of the riches she had seen once upon a time, but even those stories of golden statues and mosaics didn’t live up to the real thing (albeit, a bit more western).

“This is beautiful,” Robin sighed, in awe of the sheer beauty of what was likely only a sliver of what existed within manor walls. She was reluctant to touch anything, especially the decorative art that littered the walls. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Please, make yourself at home, Robin.” Emmeryn insisted, “Our home is yours should you choose it.”

“I… Thank you, Miss Emmeryn. I can hardly believe Chrom lives here, he certainly doesn’t act it.”

“Wait until you meet our younger sister,” Emmeryn was giggling again, soft and bubbly, “She acts even worse than Chrom at moments, though she’s lovely all the same.”

“In that case, I can’t wait to meet her. Speaking of, who is this Frederick?” Robin asked, following Emmeryn as she followed Chrom out to the gardens. “Chrom didn’t mention him.”

“He hasn’t?” Robin shook her head ‘no’, and Emmeryn in turn lightly hit Chrom upside his head. “I expected better, he should at least mention him. Frederick is the son of a family friend, we grew up with him. He’s only a year younger than me, and when our mother and father briefly lost custody of us three, we went into his family’s care.”

“Geez, you think he’d mention that kind of thing.” Robin paused for a moment, “But then again, I just found out today that he’s never seen High School Musical which is incredibly important to any relationship.”

“Relationship…?” Both Chrom and Robin froze, a blush rising on their faces as Emmeryn looked far too smug for her own good.

“Ah, I didn’t mean it in that way, I-” Robin’s sentence was cut off as a young girl ran past her and knocked Chrom to the floor, a frightened boy following behind her.

“YOU’RE BACK!” The girl yells, ruffling Chrom’s hair with both hands. Chrom groans before her returns the favor and rustles her hair, in spite of loud protesting. “Why didn’t you call ahead of time? You’re supposed to, especially if you bring your girlfriend!”

“I am not his girlfriend!” Robin is beet red at this point, her hands tugging at the edges of her hijab again and trying to hide her blush. “Why does everyone assume that?”

“Perhaps because Chrom so rarely brings anyone home,” A new voice says from behind her, making her jump, as the voice was most certainly far too deep to belong the boy that followed the other girl. “and whenever he does, we all hope for the best.”

“Frederick, be kind.” Emmeryn chastises him, a gentle hand on his shoulder. Robin had quickly moved out of the way, startled by Frederick’s sudden appearance. “And Lissa, I know that I’ve told you before not to tackle Chrom when he visits.”

“I would’ve stopped her, but she’s just too darn fast for me to keep up with!” The boy says, a little out of breath and leaning on the walls, watching as Lissa pops right back up and is swaying on her feet, Chrom slowly following. “Pardon the intrusion, Miss Emmeryn.”

“Donnel, I’ve told you that you can just call me ‘Emmeryn’ before.”

“Sorry, Miss Emmeryn, but it just don’t feel right, that’s all.”

“ _Anyways_ ,” Chrom interjects, moving to stand by Robin, who had ended up pressed against a wall during all the commotion, “there are more important things to discuss than what to call one another.”

“Oh, not this again!” Lissa whined, taking Donnel’s hand in hers. “Donny and I are engaged and we are going to get married.”

“What she said,” Donnel mumbles, looking rather terrified of Chrom. “It’s happenin’ and there ain’t no changing it.”

“Lissa. I meant the event itself. I’m long over that, trust me.”

♦️♦️♦️

They ate dinner together, sitting at a large coffee tables and crowded around one another. Frederick and Emmeryn shared leftovers from the previous night, while Lissa and Donnel worked together to create a large bowl of pasta and meat sauce. Chrom himself had some of the pasta, and Robin ventured out into the unfamiliar city to get food from a halal Indian restaurant.

“So, where are you from, Robin?” Lissa asks her through a mouth of spaghetti, leaning against Donnel.

“Oregon, lived there my entire life.”

“How many hipsters did you know?” She follows up, seemingly never without curiosity.

“Too many. Wasn’t great friends with them, but then again my friends were pretty weird too.”

“What are their names?” Emmeryn asks this time, and it becomes apparent that all three siblings are incredibly curious. Frederick, how ever, is silent during their meal.

“Tharja and Henry. I haven’t seen either in a while, Henry was shipped off to a boarding school in Massachusetts and Tharja is visiting family in Jerusalem.”

“Do you have any siblings?” Emmeryn asks her this time again, Lissa too occupied with shovelling pasta into her mouth and Donnel too occupied with attempting to get her to stop said shovelling.

“I have an older sister, Aversa, and a brother.”

“What are they like?” Lissa asks, voice garbled by the large amount of spaghetti stuffed into her mouth. Robin shrinks into herself a little, a hand coming back up to the fringes of her hijab once more.

“My sister is… somewhere between an open book and beyond confusing. She’s very kind to those she loves but has a hard time connecting and making new friends, especially when she’s unfamiliar with a place. Though she’s doing well at school, I think. She’s at law school, actually.”

“What about your brother?” Lissa prods again, oblivious to Robin’s nervous ticks.

“He… I haven’t seen him since I was very little. I think his name is Reflet.” The table was silent. “I don’t remember much about him. I miss him dearly though.”

“What happened to him?” Frederick jumps in, finally giving his voice to the conversation. “Or do you not know what happened?”

“I remember a little, though I’d really rather not talk about it now…” Robin sighed, clearly distressed by the topic. Chrom took her hand in his, giving her a small smile in an attempt to reassure her. Lissa opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a booming voice in the doorframe.

“Which one of you invited this _terrorist_ into our home _?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -again, please correct me on anything about islam or afghanistan, i do not practice islam and have never been out of the country and am trying to do my best to be accurate on these things  
> -yes, lissa is engaged to donny  
> -hopefully i'll have another chapter up by the end of this week! the holidays are coming around and it may provide more time to work on this  
> -thank you for reading!!


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